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| - A recap of landmark events in Afghanistan since the Taliban regime fell in 2001 following the US-led invasion: President George W. Bush launches his "war on terror" -- in response to the September 11 attacks that killed around 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania -- with air strikes on Afghanistan on October 7, 2001. The Taliban government had sheltered Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda movement, which masterminded the strikes on the US. In power since 1996, the Taliban are soon defeated and flee the capital on December 6. Hamid Karzai is appointed to lead an interim government and NATO begins to deploy its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Afghanistan's first election based on universal suffrage is held on October 9, 2004 and Karzai wins 55 percent of the vote on an enthusiastic turnout of 70 percent. The Taliban regroup in the south and east, as well as across the border in Pakistan, and launch an insurgency. As attacks multiply, the US command in 2008 asks for more troops and the first reinforcements are sent. Karzai is re-elected in polls on August 20, 2009 that are marred by massive fraud, low turnout and Taliban attacks. In 2009, at the start of Barack Obama's presidency, the number of US troops doubles to 68,000. In 2010, the number reaches around 100,000. Bin Laden is killed on May 2, 2011 in a US special forces operation in Pakistan. In June 2014, Ashraf Ghani is elected president with 56 percent of votes but the ballot is marred by violence and a bitter dispute over claims of fraud. In December, NATO ends its 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan. The following year, the Taliban make their greatest military advances since being ousted. The Islamic State (IS) group also becomes active. Bloody attacks multiply, notably in Kabul. In mid-2018, Washington and Taliban representatives discreetly open talks in Doha focused on slashing the US military footprint in Afghanistan. In return, the US demands the Taliban prevent the country from being used as a safe haven for jihadist groups including Al-Qaeda. Talks focus on a ceasefire and the opening of Taliban negotiations with the Kabul government. But on September 7, 2019, US President Donald Trump calls off the talks after a US soldier is among 12 killed in an attack in Kabul. Later that month, Afghans vote in a presidential election that is marred by claims of fraud and plunges the country into months of political crisis. Ghani is declared victorious for a second term only on February 18, 2020, an announcement that is rejected by his rival and former minister Abdullah Abdullah, who vows to form his own parallel government. On February 29, the US and the Taliban sign a historic deal in Doha under which all foreign forces are supposed to quit Afghanistan by May 2021, provided the Taliban start talks with Kabul and adhere to other guarantees. Ghani and Abdullah sign a power-sharing deal in May, ending their bitter months-long feud. Abdullah takes the role of leading the peace negotiations. On July 28, the Taliban declare a three-day ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, marking the second such truce in just over two months. Peace talks are delayed for six months as the Taliban and Kabul conduct a drawn-out US-brokered prisoner exchange. The sides reach a stalemate over about 400 Taliban prisoners charged with serious crimes but on August 9, a "loya jirga" -- a traditional Afghan meeting of tribal elders and other stakeholders -- agrees to their release for the sake of negotiations. On September 12, 2020, a day after the 19th anniversary of the attack on the United States, the Taliban and Afghan government launch talks in Doha, Qatar. The two camps are attempting to end almost two decades of suffering, but their positions are diametrically opposed and success far from guaranteed. The talks are bogged down by disagreements over Islamic jurisprudence in a post-conflict Afghanistan and the Taliban's insistence that peace negotiations should be based on the US-Taliban deal, but the two sides have still not agreed on an overall agenda for the dialogue. Fighting rages across much of Afghanistan as the Taliban launches devastating attacks on provincial capitals and security installations, with fears the violence may jeopardise negotiations. On November 17, the Pentagon announces the departure of 2,000 of the 4,500 soldiers still stationed in Afghanistan by January 15, 2021, in response to President Donald Trump's promise to end conflicts abroad. doc-kd/jmy/ecl/rbu/jds/jah
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